Blues Pills returned to public view with late-winter single "Proud Woman," penned by powerhouse vocalist Elin Larsson as a kick-off to their third studio album, Holy Moly! Issued to coincide with International Women's Day, it's an anthem of empowerment delivered with unruly fervor and fire-breathing energy. More rootsy than anything on 2016's neo-psych breakthrough Lady in Gold, the track signified a back-to-basics approach, one that Blues Pills engages through most of these 11 tracks. When guitarist Dorian Sorriaux amiably left the band in 2018, founder/bassist Zack Anderson moved over into his role and it made sense to reconsider their roots. They hired bassist André Kvarnström as drummer Kristoffer Schander's rhythm section partner. Holy Moly! was cut at the band's countryside recording studio in Närke, Sweden with Larsson, Anderson, and Kvarnström all co-producing. The set was mixed by veteran engineer Andrew Scheps.
More than previous studio outings, Holy Moly! comes closest to resembling Blues Pills' live attack. It is greasy, loose, and immediate; it's fiery and tuneful, blazing with searing guitar solos, thudding kick drums, and filthy bass throb. There is a profoundly musical finesse offered here that comes from working stages large and small. "Low Road" is a furious exercise in blues-rock, with Anderson's potent riff delivered by an overdriven wah-wah pedal. Larsson soars above the low-end power of the rhythm section. After an irritating intro of radio-dial static, Schander and Anderson power the molten flow surrounding Larsson in "Rhythm of the Blood." Its hooky refrain re-centers the riff as the tempo rages. "Kiss My Past Goodbye" weds sludgy blues-rock atop a funky refrain, with Larsson delivering her most soulful wail on the set as Schander's rolling snare channels the attack of Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos. "Wishin I’d Known" is a sensual yet sad power ballad that intersects the best moments from Peter Green's "Albatross," Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," and Etta James' "I'd Rather Go Blind." Anderson's bluesy picking fills, flows, and curls alongside Larsson's sweet, multi-tracked chorale refrain. "Bye Bye Birdie" commences as a slow-simmering electric blues. It cracks wide open after the bridge, roaring with crunchy power riffs and Larsson's high-pitched wail that rises above the maelstrom as Schander lays out his best John Bonham on the kit. The sense of abjection in "Song from a Mourning Dove" commences with fingerpicked guitars and brushed cymbals. But Anderson ups the ante by channeling Pink Floyd in the bridge and Robin Trower in his labyrinthine solo; in the aftermath, the band swells and it becomes a swaggering soul-blues with Larsson committing herself totally. Holy Moly! isn’t perfect; its meld of songs could have been sequenced better -- the second half is far too weighted to favor ballads. So much so, in fact, that the poignant closer, "Longest Lasting Friend," is almost lost in the shuffle despite its arresting quality. That's a small complaint, however, Holy Moly! is strong, relentlessly creative, and restlessly self-assured in its aspirations.